3. High-Contrast Checkerboard Grid Tray
What This Idea Means
Checkerboard patterns are trending heavily in modern bohemian and trendy contemporary home styling. Painting a bold checkerboard grid on a tray adds playfulness, geometric interest, and contrast to plain coffee tables or bookshelves.
Supplies Needed
- Wooden tray
- Grid ruler and pencil
- Painter’s tape (1-inch width)
- Black and cream acrylic paints
- Clear satin topcoat
How to Make It
- Paint the entire tray interior and exterior in a soft cream shade as your base color.
- Mark a precise grid across the tray floor using a ruler and light pencil lines.
- Carefully mask off alternating squares with painter’s tape to form the checkerboard pattern.
- Paint the unmasked squares with rich black acrylic paint.
- Peel off the painter’s tape gently while the paint is still slightly tacky to achieve crisp lines.
- Let it dry completely and apply a durable satin finish clear coat.
Tips and Variations
- Tip: Use a craft knife to trim painter’s tape cleanly at the tray corners.
- Variation: Swap traditional black and white for sage green and cream or cobalt blue and nude tones for a modern pastel look.